1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope system, comprising an endoscope, a treatment instrument used with the endoscope, and a storage case for containing an elongated treatment instrument inserting portion of the treatment instrument.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, an endoscope is widely used in the medical field. An endoscope in the medical field has an inserting portion which is inserted into a body cavity of a subject for observation. The inserting portion of the endoscope is provided with a treatment instrument channel through which a treatment instrument is introduced into the body cavity for various procedures.
When an operator performs a medical procedure by inserting a treatment instrument into a treatment instrument channel of an endoscope, the operator introduces the treatment instrument through the treatment instrument channel into a body cavity. During the introduction, the operator holds the endoscope at its operating portion with one hand. So, in order to insert the treatment instrument through the treatment instrument channel, the operator needs to hold, with the other hand, a sheath which is an introducing section of the treatment instrument, and manually inserts the sheath into the treatment instrument channel. The sheath is held at its base end by a staff such as a nurse. Such holding is necessary to keep a part of the sheath, having a length of 2 m for example, from touching dirty areas including floor during the insertion.
On the other hand, when an operator samples a body tissue for example with a treatment instrument, the operator holds the endoscope at its operating portion with one hand. In this state, the operator cannot operate an operating portion of the treatment instrument with the other hand holding an inserting portion of the endoscope. So a staff holds the endoscope inserting portion, or operates the treatment instrument operating portion.
This means a help by a staff is required in inserting a sheath of a treatment instrument into a treatment instrument channel of an endoscope, and operating the treatment instrument.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-208961 discloses an endoscope conduit cleaning apparatus comprising a brush cassette. The endoscope conduit cleaning apparatus has a delivery roller which can be rotated in any direction as needed. An endoscope conduit cleaning brush is contained in a brush cassette in the cleaning apparatus, and the cleaning brush is delivered from a guiding section at a distal end of the cleaning apparatus into an endoscope conduit, and the delivered endoscope conduit cleaning brush can be wound up again to be stored in the brush cassette. However, in the endoscope conduit cleaning apparatus, the brush section can be delivered out and stored in by advancing and retracting a wire, but the wire defines only the forward and backward movement of the brush section.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-334132 discloses a treatment instrument for endoscope having a storage device, so-called a drum, which is provided with a rotatable roll member for winding up an inserting portion of an endoscope. In this treatment instrument for endoscope, an operation of a sheath by hand or operation of the drum by hand causes the inserting portion to be delivered and stored. And in this treatment instrument for endoscope, the operating portion of the treatment instrument can be mounted to a side surface of a storage main body. However, because the operations for delivering or winding the sheath cause the operating portion of the treatment instrument at hand to rotate, in order to move the treatment instrument forward or backward during the treatment, the person, that is, an operator or any helper who is operating the treatment instrument, has to release his/her hand from the operating portion, which may be inconvenient.